Central Highlands province proposes private capital for Buon Ma Thuot airport upgrade

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has proposed that private capital be deployed for upgrading the Buon Ma Thuot airport into an international one.

In a document sent to the Prime Minister, Dak Lak authorities say the airport served one million passengers in 2019 and is expected to serve 1.4 million this year, close to its annual capacity of two million passengers.

According to a draft plan, the airport will double its size to 464 hectares and be prepared to welcome five million passengers in 2030 and seven million in 2050.

The airport, which does not have a cargo terminal at present, handled 6,634 tons of goods in 2019, the province notes in making a case for the proposed upgrade.

The province also emphasizes that the upgrade would be in line with guidelines set by the Politburo, the country’s highest decision-making body, on developing Dak Lak and its Buon Ma Thuot town into a center of the Central Highlands.

Buon Ma Thuot is located in the heart of the Central Highlands, connecting economic hubs in the country's south-central and southeastern regions and the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia development triangle. It is well known as the nation’s coffee hub.

Last weekend, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Central Highlands to complete five key expressway projects by 2030 to bolster national transportation connectivity.

On November 15, the National Assembly, Vietnam's highest legislative body, approved the piloting of unique mechanisms and policies for Buon Ma Thuot, the biggest town in the country’s Central Highlands, for five years starting next year.

The resolution features many incentives to attract talent, including a five-year exemption of personal income tax for experts, scientists, and those with special talent working in the town’s state agencies.